Not so Mortal After All
by Qwerty616120
Summary: Eight new demigods have arrived at Camp Half-Blood, all which were created by reviewers through PM. Watch them train, go on quest, and survive as your average teenager who just happens to be half Greek god.
1. Chapter 1- Isa's POV

**Hello! Welcome to **_**Not so Mortal After All**_**! If you're new to this, I basically had people PM me their OCs and now I'm writing a story with them :) These are the characters that were submitted: **

**-Julia Vincent (submitted by ****Wisdom's daughter****) **

**-Alison Minerva (submitted by ****Myusernameisoriginal) **

**-Mika Florence (submitted by ****Tybee10****) **

**-Isabelle Fray (submitted by ****Booknerd4622****) **

**-Dalilah Bryony Eneiss (submitted by ****Linnea-chan****) **

**-Lucy Quinn Johnson (submitted by ****Percabethlvrknowsall) **

**-Phoenix Glace (submitted by ****Pepsicola541) **

**-Leila "Lei" Musique (submitted by ****Smiling Sunflower****) **

**-Rose (submitted by ****Guest****) **

**Let me clear something up quickly- they will all be in the story, but they won't all be main characters. In the next chapter I'll let you all know who the main characters will be- I was going to let you know in this chapter, but I'm having a pretty hard time deciding, so the next chapter it is! :) **

**Also, this chapter is really just to get this story up and running, not so much for plot or story purposes… sorry 'bout that! **

**Disclaimer: Camp Half-Blood belongs to Rick Riordan, the characters belong to various reviewers… so, yeah, I own nothing. :( **

Isa's POV

I sat in Chiron's office, waiting for him to find the folder. We had new campers coming today, and I was interested to know what to expect.

"Ah! Here it is!" Chiron turned toward me, triumphantly holding up the large vanilla folder. He opened it on his desk, and papers spilled across the hard wood surface.

"That's a lot of papers," I commented, eyeing one picture of a girl with dark hair and a mischievous smirk on her face- I might have to keep an eye on that one.

"We have an…interesting group," Chiron replied. I nodded, my eyes falling on a small sticky note that had _keep away from Aphrodite campers _scrawled on it. The note was stuck to a picture of a girl with amber-brown straight hair who looked to be around 15 years old.

"Interesting," I echoed. "Do we know all their parents?"

"I believe so, yes. Apollo, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Khione, and even one Artemis."

"Artemis?! How did _that _happen?!" I asked, shocked. Artemis did not seem like one to break her vow to be forever single.

"I believe the girl was a deer who was shot by a hunter. Artemis took pity on her and turned her into a girl- something like that," Chiron replied, scanning one paper with _Alison Minerva _written in neat cursive across the top.

"Oh," was all I said. As one of the oldest campers as well as Chiron's assistant, it was my job to train new campers. I'd never trained an Artemis camper, though. And did Chiron say that one girl was a future Aphrodite Camper? My eyes flashed back to the sticky note that warned to keep Aphrodite campers away from the amber-haired girl. Oh gods. I bet _that _was a fun car ride.

"How many campers?" I asked, picking up yet another picture. This one showed a girl with skin so pale it looked unreal and blue-gray eyes so light they looked almost as white as her pale blonde hair.

"Eight, I believe," Chiron answered matter-of-factly.

"Eight?" I asked in shock. Normally we only got two or three campers at a time. "That's a lot to train all by myself," I told him doubtfully.

"Rose can help you," Chiron said, dismissing my concern with a wave of his hand. I grinned at the suggestion- Rose was a huntress sent to Camp Half Blood by Artemis to seek out potential recruits, as well as a good friend of mine.

"When do they arrive?" I asked, glancing at the clock on the wall that read 1:45 pm.

"Two, I believe," Chiron replied. "Argus was going to drive them all here at once. They'll be waiting for you at Thalia's old pine tree."

"I'll find Rose and get over there, then." I said, accepting the folder from Chiron. "Thanks, Chiron."

"Good luck!" He called after me as I left his office. I almost didn't hear him mutter under his breath "With those campers, you'll need it."

**Like I said, just kind of a set up to the story. The next chapter will probably be in one of the new camper's POV. Reviewer's question: Anyone ever been the "new kid" at school? (Thinking about new campers made me think of this.) I have, several times. Until next time! **


	2. Chapter 2- Mika's POV

**Hi guys! I'm back, and I have two MAJOR announcements- 1****st****, the main characters. I had an incredibly hard time picking only three characters, but ****every single character is important. Not just the 3 main ones. ****The main characters just alternate POVs and stuff, ****all the characters are involved****. Anyways, the three I picked are: **

**-Leila "Lei" Musique (Created by Smiling Sunflower)**

**-Phoenix "Nix" Glace (Created by PepsiCola541) **

**-Mika Flourence (Created by Tybee10) **

If your character didn't get picked, don't freak out or anything. All the characters have a bit part of the story- read this chapter, and you'll see what I mean!

My 2nd big announcement- originally, I was just going to write this story about random training moments and stuff. Now, I've changed my mind and given the characters a prophecy to make their lives hard- I mean, to make it more fun to read. ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. *Insert witty comment here*

Mika's POV

I couldn't wait to escape that tiny van. I wasn't an antisocial person, but a two-hour car drive in a tiny strawberry van with six other people is enough to drive anyone a bit crazy. Especially because I had next to no idea where we were going.

In the beginning of the car ride, I'd tried asking around a bit, but either no one else knew where we were going, or they just didn't care. Stuck in the back of the van between the window and a tiny girl with black hair and somewhat creepy yellow-red eyes, snooping around wasn't much of an option either.

"Mike? Isn't that a boy's name?" Asked the girl next to me suddenly, staring at my nametag.

"It's Mika, actually," I told her, struggling to read her nametag with my dyslexia. No good- the letters kept flipping around like they were doing 180s on skateboards.

"What's your name?" I asked, giving up.

"Dalilah," she told me. "Why can't you read my name tag?"

"I have dyslexia," I told her easily. I guess some people might have been embarrassed to have dyslexia, but it had never really bothered me.

"Me too!" Dalilah squealed happily, before turning to talk to the girl on her other side. I took the chance to take a closer look at Dalilah.

She was seriously tiny, the size of a third grader. At first glance, if you ignored her fiery eyes, she seemed normal enough, until you took a closer look. Her belt was strangely rounded with a leather handle hanging off the side- was that a _whip? _And those hairpins- they looked a bit sharper than normal. How many concealed weapons did this girl _have? _Before I could look for more, Dalilah spun around, gesturing wildly to the girl on her other side.

"She has dyslexia, too!" She cried, excited.

"Cool," I said, although I was secretly pretty curious. Maybe they were taking us to some special camp for dyslexic kids. "I'm Mika," I told the girl, who I could see easily over Delilah's head.

"Alison," she said with a large, warm smile. "But most people call me Ali." Ali was pretty, in her own way. She was petite, although not as small as Dalilah, with blue eyes and choppy brown hair, like she'd cut it herself with a pocketknife or something. Her even tan and chipped nail polish gave her a carefree look, and her big smile screamed "friendly."

"I don't suppose you know where we're going," I said lightly, not really expecting a response. To my surprise, her expression darkened for a moment before her smile was back in place.

"No idea," she lied uneasily.

"Ok, guess we'll find out soon, right?" I said lightly, turning back to the window, privately concerned.

Ali seemed like a pretty nice girl- why did she seem so uneasy about wherever we were going? I could have been imagining it, I guess, but I doubt it. I'm great at reading people, and just observing them in general. It's a gift, and it comes in handy when you're trying to figure out if a teacher knows it was you who put a tack in their seat- take my word for it.

"We're here!" Called out the driver, slowing the van to a stop. I jumped off before the bus had even completely stopped moving, happy to finally be here. "I'm sure you all have questions, but the girl under the pine tree will explain everything." I turned and saw the pine tree he was talking about at the top of the hill, standing alone like a beacon.

We all trudged up the hill, happy to stretch out our cramped limbs. When we got to the top we found not one girl, but two. One was tall and lean with auburn hair that was cut short and eyes that were so dark, they were almost black. The other was shorter than her companion, yet still tall, with long dark hair and a faintly Asian complexion.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" Said the taller one. "My name is Isa, and this is Rose."

"Camp Half-Blood?" Asked someone off to my right curiously.

"It's a camp for demigods," explained Isa.

"Demigods?!" Asked someone else in disbelief.

"Half god, half human," said Isa. "You all have a Greek god for a parent, just like we do."

"Who are your parents?" Asked Dalilah, who was standing just in front of me.

"Mine is Apollo," Said Rose. "But I joined Artemis's huntresses a couple years ago. I'm here at camp now looking for new recruits." The look on Rose's face clearly said that she'd rather be back with the other huntresses.

"And I'm a daughter of Hectate," Isa told us.

"Do you know who our parents are?" I asked curiously.

"Yup," Isa replied. "But I should show you around first."

-Line Break-

The things this camp had- from cool cabins to a weapon shed (which Dalilah seemed pretty interested in) to a canoe lake and strawberry fields- but all I could think about is who my godly parent could be. Finally Isa finished the tour and led us to the group of cabins.

"I have a list here of your godly parents. When I call out your name and godly parent, you can go to your cabin and get settled in."

"I thought kids got claimed," someone objected.

"They do," Rose explained. "But with a group this large, they just send down a list. It's much faster that way." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ali shift nervously. Didn't she want to find out who her godly parent was? I knew I did!

"Isabelle Fray and Lucy Quinn Johnson," Isa called out, reading off a small gold paper. "Poseidon." Two girls with sea-green eyes emerged from the crowd, one with gothic clothes and shoulder length black hair, the other with curly brown hair and a classic beauty. Both girls headed uncertainly to a low gray building at the end of the cabins, where a tall boy with the same green eyes was talking to a tall girl with curly blonde hair.

"Leila Musique and Julia Vincent," Isa continued. "Apollo." A girl with amber hair jumped forward, and another girl with a sunny, golden tan followed more hesitantly.

"Alison Minerva," Called out Isa. "Artemis." Ali froze and took a deep breath, not meeting anyone's eye. Artemis? Wasn't she a maiden goddess? Before I could ask Ali grabbed her stuff and hurried toward her new cabin, stumbling over the threshold.

"What's that?" Asked Dalilah, pointing up to a dark shape in the sky and drawing the attention away from Ali. The dark shape got closer and closer- was that _flying horse?! _

"Ah- that must be our last camper," Isa said. "I thought we were missing one." The pegasus landed right next to us, a beautiful proud white stallion. The girl on the pegasus's back looked equally as cool and remote, with pale skin and white-blonde hair. Her eyes looked like chips of ice, and her shoulders were lightly dusted with…was that _snow? _In _July? _It didn't seem to bother the girl though, who nimbly hopped off the pegasus and walked up to Isa.

"I hope I'm not late," she said, and her voice reminded me of ice- cool and even.

"Phoenix," Isa said, scanning her list. "Khione." Khione? Wasn't Khione a Roman goddess? I shook my head to clear it- I must have been mistaken.

"C'mon Barchan," Phoenix said, walking toward the cabin dusted with what looked like powdered sugar, but I now realized it must have been snow.

"Mika Florence," I dismissed the other thoughts from my head as my name was called. "Hermes." I grabbed my bag and walked toward the wood cabin, not able to contain the grin on my face- Hermes, god of traveling and thieves. I would fit in well here.

-Line Break-

By dinner time, I had settled in, helped my cabin counselors- Travis and Conner Stoll- prank a girl named Katie, and discovered a prophecy that put a serious damper on the light mood. I should back up a bit- the prophecy.

I was walking by the big house with Dalilah, who turned out to be a daughter of Ares, when I heard a girls voice from the porch. Did I eavesdrop? Well…yeah.

"Nine demigods, one for all,

split in two, yet do not fall.

One shall leave and nine becomes eight,

The traitor's sorrow taken bait.

Two traitors now stand alone,

Determined to tear down Olympus thrones."

The girl was obviously reciting an older prophecy, but it sent chills down my spine. How many campers had arrived today? Eight? Well, Rose had been helping Isa, but she was technically a camper, so… nine. _Nine demigods, one for all… _No, it had to be a coincidence. It was then that I sent my first prayer up to my dad- _please, please let it just be a coincidence. _

So, if your character was in this chapter, shoot me a review and let me know if I portrayed them right. (If your character wasn't mentioned majorly yet, just wait. There're more chapters to come!) Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3- Leila's POV

**Hello, everybody! :) I'm back! I have another announcement (I forgot to put this in the last chapter) the amazing ****PepsiCola541**** and I are now writing a story together (the collab account is called ****Drinking in Qwerty)**** and the story is called **_**Accidental Kings and Queens. **_**Most of you probably already know about it, because I'm pretty sure everyone following this story is following at least one of my other stories, but I'm putting it on here just in case. :) Check it out! **

Disclaimer: Me: Uh…so, it actually says Rick Riordan on the bottom of the books…not Qwerty… you know what that means, right?

**Readers: You don't own anything? **

**Me: I was going to say there was a typo, but your idea makes more sense… crap. :( **

Leila's POV

You could say that I had mixed feelings about the whole Greek gods thing- on one hand, being half god explained my pure awesomeness. I seriously hoped I had some ultra-cool super powers- how great would that be? On the other hand, that meant Aphrodite existed, and I wasn't too hot on the idea of her trying to match me up with every guy that crossed my path. Call me crazy, but I didn't want some all-powerful love goddess messing with my heart.

"Excuse me?" Asked a voice from behind me. I turned to see a beautiful girl with medium length brown hair, gorgeous green eyes, and a nice, even tan- I was immediately wary of her. If Aphrodite had kids, I could easily imagine they'd look something like this girl. "Can I sit here?" She asked, gesturing to the seat next to me on the dock.

"Depends," I said. "Who's your parent?"

"What?" She asked, her eyes widening like I'd slapped her.

"Who's your godly parent?"

"Oh, _godly _parent," she said, giving a nervous laugh. "Right, of course. Poseidon."

"Poseidon? Oh. Then take a seat," I grinned, scooting over to give her room.

"I'm Isabelle," she said, taking a seat.

"I'm nobody," I told her seriously. She stared at me for a moment in confusion.

"Nobody?"

"Yeah, 'cuz nobody's perfect. And that makes me perfect," I explained, grinning now. "Get it?"

"Oh, yeah," Isabelle said, laughing. "I get it."

"Isabelle?" Called another voice, and I turned to find a girl who seemed to be set on wearing as much black as possible. She had black combat boots, black ripped skinny jeans, and a dark blue and black shirt- even her hair was black. Something about her reminded me of Isabelle, and after a moment I realized that she had the same sea-green eyes.

"Nobody, this is my half-sister, Lucy. Lucy, meet Nobody." Isabelle said, holding back a laugh.

"Nobody?" Lucy questioned, plopping down next to Isabelle and I.

"It's actually Leila," I explained. "But I go by Lei."

"Pretty name" said Lucy, popping her gum.

"So is Lucy," I replied, restraining from telling her that she was smacking her gum.

"Lucy's pretty mainstream, though," she said, shrugging. "It's alright, I guess."

"Lei, you never told me who your parent is," Isabelle pointed out suddenly.

"Apollo," I grinned. Isabelle looked surprised.

"I would have guessed Hermes," she admitted. "You have that…look."

"Um, 'kay," I said, not sure how to reply. "Awkward silence…"

"Saying awkward silence doesn't make it any less awkward," Lucy informed me.

"Yeah, but we're talking now. That fills the silence and makes it less awkward- in your face!" I grinned triumphantly, rather proud of my reasoning. Lucy just rolled her eyes.

"You're weird," she informed me matter-of-factly.

"But good weird," Isabelle interrupted quickly, grinning at me.

"At least _someone _appreciates my talents," I said pointedly, winking at Isabelle.

"What talents?" Lucy scoffed, but she was hiding her own grin behind her black nail polish clad hand.

"That talent," I said with a smirk. "Making the most annoying people smile." Lucy was stopped from replying by the conch shell blowing in the distance.

"Oh- dinner! Do you think they have chocolate pizza?" I asked. It was a legit question, but both Lucy and Isabelle stared at me like I'd lost my mind.

"I'm afraid both of you will be late for dinner," said a familiar voice from behind me. I turned to see the girl who had shown us around- Isa.

"Huh? Why?" Asked Isabelle.

"Chiron needs to talk to you," Isa said.

"Chiron?" Asked Lucy, popping her gum again.

"The center who runs this camp- well, besides Mr. D, of course."

"Center?!" We all cried in sync. Isa just shrugged.

"You can accept that we have gods for parents, but not that a center runs our camp?"

"Touché," I said, getting up. "Ok, lead the way, Magic Girl." Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought Isa's eyes flashed with distaste when I called her "magic girl", which confused me. She was a daughter of Hectate, after all, and "magic girl" wasn't an offensive name or anything. I pushed it off, though. I wasn't good at thinking about one thing for too long- dumb ADHD- and I figured I'd imagined it anyway. After all, there was nothing wrong with being a daughter of Hectate.

-Line Break-

"A quest?" Asked a girl I recognized from my cabin- Julia Vincent. She twirled her curly brown hair around her finger nervously, looking uneasy. "But we don't have any training."

"It's ok," Chiron said, but he didn't meet her gaze. "You'll all be fine, I'm sure."

"Chiron, what's wrong?" Asked a girl with arched eyebrows and a mischievous smirk- a Hermes kid for sure.

"Nothing," Chiron insisted. He sounded pretty convincing to me, but the Hermes girl didn't budge.

"Your tail's swishing. You only do that when you're agitated," she informed him, and I was vaguely impressed. I wouldn't have noticed that- but I was sure I'd notice next time. Anything that girl could do, I could do too!

"Fine," Chiron caved. "There has been a second part to a prophecy I've worried about for years, and I think it would now be in our best intentions for you to… take leave of Camp for a while." A clamor of questions followed his announcement, but the Hermes girl quieted everyone down when she started reciting something.

"Nine demigods one in all,

Split into two, yet do not fall.

One shall leave and nine becomes eight,

The traitors' sorrow taken bait.

Two traitors now stand alone,

Determined to tear down Olympus thrones."

An uneasy silence followed her words, and the girl was paper white as she whispered "That prophecy, Chiron?" He stared at her, completely still.

"Where did you hear that?" He asked, as I looked around the room, counting. _One..two..three.. _

"It doesn't matter," Hermes girl said. "Is that the prophecy?" _Four…five…six… _

"Mika, that prophecy is very serious," Chiron warned, but the Hermes girl- Mika- just shrugged his warning off. I felt a chill run through me as I finished counting. _Seven…eight…nine. Nine demigods. Oh no… _

"Tell us the rest of the prophecy," urged Lucy. Chiron sighed, but obliged.

"A bridge's journey is rough and alone,

while two sisters escape a shadow of their own.

The deer's parentage a source of shame,

One girl's path that can't be tamed.

Another gets more than she signed up for,

One sees far too much, and than more.

A girl over guesses her own strengths,

And a secret that one will take to the grave."

A heavy silence followed his words, and I wanted to shout some random joke to break the tension, but even I could take a hint. Now was not the time.

"So…this quest," Julia said eventually. "Where are we going?"

"Two groups will race to find Hypnos's lost sleeping pills," Chiron explained, looking relieved to change the subject. "First group back with them gets no chores for a week."

"So, time to go annoy some gods," I quipped, trying to ease the tension at least a little bit. "Or is it flatter? Be warned- I'm not that great at flattering people."

"Who said anything about annoying gods?" Asked a fat man in the corner irritably.

"It kinda goes with the job, right?" I said, glancing over at him. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Aphrodite," the man sneered at me sarcastically. "I'm Mr. D, of course! Dionysus? God of wine?"

"Not ringing a bell," I told him, shrugging. "Guess you're just not important enough for me to remember."

"NOT IMPORTANT-" He began, his face turning a shade of purple not found in nature. Chiron quickly interrupted him, shooting me a _do you have a death wish _look… I get that look a lot.

"Anyway," Chiron continued quickly. "You'll all leave tomorrow morning. I'll let you decide how to split up into two groups." With that, Chiron left, closely followed by Mr. D who shot me one last _I'll-get-you-later _glare before he left.

"Um, we need two groups, right? So, lets do this P.E. style," Julia suggested after a moment. "Two team captains, I mean, and you get picked."

"Alright- as long as I get to be a team captain!" I said quickly, walking to the front of the room and grinning. I saw Lucy shoot Isabelle a look like _oh gods. She's in a position of power- we're doomed. _

"I'll be the other team captain," Mika said after a moment, and when no one objected, she joined me at the front of the room. "You can pick first," she told me.

"Isabelle," I said immidently.

"Dalilah," Mika called out, and a small girl with eerie red eyes joined her.

"Lucy," I sighed after a moment, pretending to deeply reluctant to have her on my team. This went on for a moment until everyone had a team.

I looked around my little team, which was made up of Isabelle, Lucy, me (of course), and the huntress girl, Rose, who had helped show us around. The other team- Mika's team- consisted of Mika, Dalilah, Julia, and Alison, Artemis's daughter. One thing was for sure- this was going to be a very interesting contest.

-Line Break-

I was hurrying the dinning pavilion, hoping to get some food in my body. Hey, this hero seriously needed some pizza! I hesitated when I saw Mika freeze and walk slowly back toward the porch on the big house. I followed her, curious.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, making her jump.

"Shh!" She whispered back, motioning to the porch. I looked up and saw Julia and Rose talking in hushed voices. I crouched down next to Mika, determined to hear whatever she was trying to hear.

"Told you….nothing…. she's trapped…" Rose's voice drifted down.

"Don't understand… she said that?…" That was Julia's voice, but she sounded terrified.

"Gods help me, if I find out that you…" Rose's voice rose in anger, then quieted back down.

"I didn't, I swear!" Julia cried. Rose muttered something and Julia fell silent, listening. Then Rose's voice rose again, but not in anger this time.

"You realize what that last line of the prophecy means, don't you?" Rose hissed, and Julia caught her breath, I raked my mind for the last line of the prophecy- what had it been? _A secret that one will take to the grave… _that had been it.

"Yes, I understand," Julia responded, and her voice seemed to catch like she was trying hard not to cry. Rose muttered something else and then left, heading off to the dining pavilion. Julia hesitated for a moment, calming herself down, then followed Rose to dinner.

"What was _that _about?" I asked, turning to Mika. Mika's carefree expression was gone, replaced by a worried one.

"I'm not sure," she said, but I got the impression she had a suspicion that she was too scared to share.

"Hey, it's ok," I said quickly. "We should go eat anyway, right? You can't save the world on an empty stomach!" Mika nodded, her carefree expression back in place. I immediately mirrored her- if Mika could pretend everything was all right, I could do it too. Even if things were definitely _not _all right.

Yep… so, I actually meant to have this chapter uploaded last night. Ready for my amazing excuse? Yeah? I don't actually have one…. Life just happened, I guess. Don't forget to shoot me a review, tell me if I'm keeping your characters in character! :) Oh, and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Until next time! 


	4. Chapter 4- Phoenix's POV

**Hello, my amazing readers! I'm back! So, someone asked what group Phoenix is in, because I didn't list her in Mika or Leila's group. It's a good question, (and you'll have to read to find out why) but let me assure you I didn't forget about our icy demigod. She wasn't listed for a reason. Hopefully this chapter will help explain why. :) Also, I haven't been doing shout outs like I usually do- sorry 'bout that! Shout outs: **

**Myusernameisorigional****- Haha, I'm not sure why, but that story just MADE MY DAY… is that weird? **

**Wisdoms daughter****- Yup, Julia got a bit bullied by Rose last chapter, didn't she? Sorry 'bout that… it's for a good reason…. -.- **

**Linnea-chan****- Thank you! :) **

**Guest****- You. Are. My. Sister. Therefore I will do whatever I want to your character. MUAHAHAHA! **

**Disclaimer: Me: *cough* Iownnothing *cough* **

**Readers: What was that, Qwerty? **

**Me: I said Iownnothing. **

**Readers: A bit slower… **

**Me: Fine! I own nothing! Happy now? **

**Readers: Very… *evil smirk***

* * *

Phoenix's POV

I stared at the lake, wondering if I'd done the right thing. The moment people had begun picking teams, I'd quickly snuck out of the cabin. After all, I didn't belong here. I was Roman. No Greek would want me on their team- it was a miracle they tolerated me here at their camp at all, although they'd barely done even that.

I wasn't stupid. I saw the looks the Greek demigods gave me; I knew what they thought of me. They didn't know what to make of me. A snow demigod? It was unheard of.

I'd left the room because I didn't want to be on a team of people who would barely talk to me. But now… maybe I needed to get to know them, and maybe that contest was my chance.

_Getting to know people that are nothing like me. _I snorted at the thought, and the light snowfall around me turned heavier, so that it was more like a small blizzard. A nearby camper shot me a strange look, probably baffled by the sight of a girl in a T-shirt and shorts sitting in the middle of a small snow storm that followed only her around. _I don't belong here, _I mentally groaned, flopping back on the grassy hillside.

_Lupa said- _the sensible part of me began, but I tuned it out. Lupa. Lupa had sent me here- did she know I would be rejected? At least at home I'd had my blissful solitude. Here… surely she hadn't known. She must have made a mistake.

"She was wrong," I told myself aloud. I knew what I had to do- go to Lupa, and fix this mistake. "Channie!" I called, whistling for my Pegasus. Almost immediately Barchan (or, as I called him, Channie) landed next to me.

"You're my friend, right?" I muttered, stroking Channie's snow-white nose gently.

_I feel more like your father, _Channie snorted. Being half-snow (a rare gift from my mother) Channie could telepathically communicate with me. It could be nice, unless he wanted a sugar cube. Then I couldn't get him to _stop _talking.

"Can you take me to Lupa?" I asked, already mounting the pegasus. Channie hesitated before answering.

_Of course I can. But… you're not giving up already, are you? You haven't been here very long, and Lupa said- _

"I know what Lupa said!" I snapped, before taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "But Lupa was wrong."

_Lupa is never wrong, _he muttered.

"Channie," I begged. "Please."

_Fine… _Spreading his wings, Channie leapt into the sky, carrying me to the wolf who had started it all.

* * *

"Phoenix."

The voice echoed through the stone building, even though I hadn't told Lupa I was there.

"Lupa," I muttered, dipping my head respectfully.

"I thought you went to Camp Half-Blood?" Lupa asked, but her voice was firm, as if she was scolding one of her pups.

"I did, but they don't want me there."

"Did they kick you out?"

"Well, no, but-"

"But you left anyway," Lupa said. Her voice wasn't accusing, she was simply stating it as a fact, but I still felt shame flood me.

"Yes, ma'am," I muttered, staring intently at the floor.

"You must go back," she told me. I looked up in shock.

"What?" I gasped. "But they're so _different._"

"Would you rather return to Khione?" Lupa asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I gulped, looking away. Had anyone else but Lupa mentioned my mother, I would have been furious. But I couldn't get angry with Lupa- she'd practically raised me.

"No," I muttered. I knew what my Mom would say. She'd press her lips into a firm line and narrow her eyes, pointedly not looking at me. Then she'd say, "_I thought you went to those Greeks", _like I was a horrible plague she couldn't quite get rid of. If I fulfilled my destiny- whatever it may be- maybe I would finally make her proud. And Lupa insisted that my destiny lay with the Greeks.

"Then you must return to the Greeks and fulfill your part of the prophecy," Lupa declared, seeming to consider the matter closed.

"The prophecy?" I asked, freezing. "Part of that prophecy is about… me?"

"Yes," Lupa said dryly, as if it were obvious. "And I think you know what part." My mind immediately flashed back to the first line of the second part to the prophecy- _A bridge's journey is rough and alone. _

"I'm not a bridge between anything," I protested weakly. "I don't connect anything."

"Not yet," Lupa said, turning away. "It's time you were heading back." From the doorway, Channie whinnied uneasily.

"What? But I still have questions!" I protested. "The prophecy said something about a grave- who's going to die?"

"Your mother is coming to pay me a visit, and unless you want to talk to her…" Lupa trailed off, but I got the message.

"No, I'll leave," I said, backing back to Channie quickly, panic spreading through me at the thought of my Mom. For a minute Lupa's eyes flashed with sympathy, and she walked toward me, touching her muzzle to my hand gently. Giving me her blessing.

"I know," she said gently. "You must try to understand- Khione had a rough time when you were born. It's not your fault." I turned away, my eyes stinging dangerously.

_A rough time when you were born… _yes, Mom had always made it obvious that she was ashamed to have given birth to me. The reminder really hadn't been necessary.

"I'll be leaving now," I choked out, hopping on Channie's back. "Tell Mom… tell her I won't let her down. I _will _fulfill my part of the prophecy. And then… maybe she won't have to hide me anymore."

Lupa's reply was lost in the wind as Channie leapt into the sky and carried me away.

* * *

**Ugh, this chapter was SO depressing to write. :( Poor Phoenix- things get better for her, though. I just wanted to introduce her character a bit more, show what she's going through. She'll make some friends soon, don't worry. As always, don't forget to let me know if I'm doing ok! Until next time! **


	5. Chapter 5- Mika's POV

**Hey guys! Time for (drum roll, please) Chapter 5! Hooray! (Oh, and did anyone notice the new covers I put on all my stories?) Shout outs: **

**Linnea-chan****- Evil cupcake minions? *Shocked face* Oh, the horror! Please, have mercy! **

**Wisdom's daughter****- Haha, you must really give Rick a hard time! At least I don't make you wait a year, right? **

**Myusernameisorigional****- I'm so tempted to ask, but I'll be a good author and hold my tongue… **

**Harmonic Bunny****- Thank you :) PepCo certainly outdid herself with Phoenix, didn't she? xD **

**Disclaimer: Me: *looks in magic mirror* Mirror mirror, on the wall, who owns the best book series of them all?**

**Mirror: A troll, RR is his name, who throws characters to Tartarus with no shame. **

**Me: Ohh… Mirror mirror, on the wall, do I own anything at all? **

**Mirror: NO. NOTHING. **

**Me: *disappointed* Shoot. **

Mika's POV

My team chatted idly as we sat in the Camp van, which was going to drop us off just outside Manhattan. I took the chance to study them, trying to evaluate our chances of winning based on my teammates.

Nearest to me sat Alison (or, as she apparently liked to be called, "Ali".) Once we'd left Camp and her godly parent had been temporarily forgotten, she'd easily opened up, laughing and joking along with everyone else. When I said opened up, I mean _really _opened up. Apparently she was from Washington State, where she'd lived with her father. The only thing she'd avoided was Artemis- her mother was clearly a sore spot for her.

"We're gonna whoop them!" Declared little Dalilah, and I turned my attention to her. She had talked like this for most of the ride, and her confidence was inspiring, if not a bit strange coming from a girl of her size.

"We shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves," cautioned Julia, who was furthest away from me. It was the first time she'd talked since we entered the car, and I got the feeling she was sizing everyone up, the same way I was. Quiet as she was, she wasn't unfriendly. More… shy. Yeah, that was the word, shy.

"We can do it, don't 'cha think, Captain?" Asked Dalilah, turning to me with her fiery eyes.

"Absolutely," I told her easily. It was a lot simpler to act carefree and confident then to admit I was mentally tallying up everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

"We've got as good a chance as them!" Grinned Ali, and Julia gave up being the voice of reason, just sighing and giving a small smile. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes, though, and I got the feeling she was already thinking about something else.

_The conversation with Rose, maybe, _I mused. _I wonder…_ I trailed off, afraid to even finish the thought. Ever since I'd overheard Rose and Julia, I'd been nursing an idea about what was going on, although I hoped I was wrong.

_The prophecy warned of a traitor. What if… _I took a deep breath and forced myself to finish the thought. _What if Julia is the traitor and Rose was trying to scare her off? _I hated myself for doubting Julia, and I knew that doing so weakened the team, but I couldn't help it. After all, did I really know her that well?

"We're here!" Called Isa, who'd been driving us. "Everybody out!" We piled out, but it didn't escape my notice that Isa's gaze lingered on Julia for a split second longer than anyone else.

"Good luck," Isa said, shifting her gaze from Julia to me. "Kill a monster for me!" Then she rolled up the window and drove off, leaving us alone in Manhattan.

* * *

"If you were a sleeping pill, where would you hide?" Asked Dalilah as we stared at the city map, thinking.

"I'd be asleep," Ali said, grinning at her little joke.

"It's probably not in New York," Julia pointed out after a moment.

"Why?" I asked, looking up.

"Think about it," she said. "It's the city that never sleeps, right?"

"Oh," Dalilah whistled. "Good point."

"Somewhere really dull and boring, then," Ali said.

"Florida!" I burst suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Julia asked, frowning and looking offended. "I'm from Florida, and it's not dull or boring!"

"No, that's not exactly what I meant," I backtracked. "Florida is a huge tourist area, right?"

"Yeah," Julia said, still looking a bit miffed. "Certain areas of it are."

"So people go there to relax," I continued.

"We do get a lot of tourist in the winter," Julia admitted. "People fly down to escape the cold winters up North."

"They relax, escape work, suntan, whatever," I explained, getting excited. "Relaxing… that mean sleepy, right?"

"I guess so," Julia said slowly. "That's kind of a stretch, though. I mean, California gets a lot of tourist, too, don't they?"

"Oh, yeah," I said slowly. I hadn't thought of California.

"So it's either California or Florida," Ali said.

"Assuming we're looking for relaxing tourist spots," Julia pointed out. "You think the gods would have given us a clue or something!"

"Excuse me? Mika's Team?" Asked a man from behind us.

"Um… who's asking?" Dalilah asked suspiciously, studying the man.

"Hermes," the man grinned. "God of messages, thieves, travel… you get the jist. I got a package for you kids," he told us, tossing me a small bottle. Inside I could see a rolled up piece of paper.

"A message in a bottle?" I asked, looking up. Hermes shrugged.

"Hypnos is a bit old fashion. He has a tendency to sleep several decades and then wake up, not knowing what he's missed," Hermes explained. "Anyway, there's your clue. Gotta go, lots of mail to deliver!"

"Wait, a clue?" Ali blinked. "Talk about timing."

"I was instructed to give it to you only if you wondered why you hadn't gotten a clue," Hermes informed us. Dalilah grinned.

"Has Leila's team gotten their clue yet?" She asked, looking smug.

"Gods, you are like your dad," Hermes chuckled. "Afraid I can't tell you, sport. Good luck!" And just like that, he was gone.

"Open it!" Dalilah urged, and I uncorked the bottle, pulling the message out.

_Dear (insert team name here),_

_ Congratulations. If you got this letter, you're asking the right questions! You get three clues about the state, city, and area the pills can be found. Good luck! _

_The sunniest state around. _

_The "Magic City" _

_A center of Meetings, reunions, and gatherings. _

_I'd tell you more, but it'd been a whole three hours since I last slept, and I'm getting tired. Letter writing is exhausting work. _

_ -Sincerely, _

_ Hypnos, god of slee… _

"Why'd he suddenly stop writing?" Asked Ali, reading over my shoulder.

"Look at the way the page is crumpled," I smirked. "He fell asleep."

"The sunniest state around…" Julia mused. "Guess we're going to Florida after all."

"California is pretty sunny, too. So is Texas," I pointed out. Julia just shook her head, unconvinced.

"It's Florida," she said, convinced. "Florida's nicknamed the Sunshine State."

"Great!" Ali grinned. "Anyone know how to get to Florida?"

* * *

"You sure this train goes to Florida?" Asked Dalilah, glancing out the open door.

"Yeah, pretty sure," I replied. "That's what the sign said, anyway."

"How come the train is empty?" She asked suspiciously. I just shrugged, but then Julia piped up.

"This was in the corner," she held up a small fruit. "It's an orange. Florida grows a lot of oranges. They were transporting the fruit to be sold up in New York, and now the train is returning to get more."

"Oh," was all Dalilah said, apparently satisfied.

"What's Florida like?" Asked Ali, leaning forward.

"Hot," Julia smiled. "Very, very hot. Humid, too. It'll be nice to see my mom again, though."

"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked, pretending not to be too interested.

"Not since fifth grade," Julia admitted. "Mom and I didn't always… get along, I guess you could say, but you gotta love her anyway." Her face seemed to light up when she talked about home. When she smiled, she seemed about three years younger and you could really see her unique beauty.

"Touching," snarled a voice from a dark corner of the train car, making us all jump.

"Who's there?" I called out, pulling out a small dagger I'd gotten at the Camp's weapon shed. Ok, more like stolen from the camp's store, but I'd left a few drachmas to make up for it.

Next to me, Dalilah pulled two knives from her sleeves, a hungry look in her amber eyes at the prospect of a fight. Despite her size, I had to admit, she looked terrifying.

Ali pulled out what looked suspiciously like a silver spear and even quiet Julia pulled out her bow and arrow.

Armed now, we faced the dark corner, tense and ready to attack.

"Who are we?" Sneered a second voice; this one higher pitched then the first, although still deep. "We'll show you!" Two large shapes emerged from the shadows, and I saw with horror that they were Cyclopes. Huge, ugly, smelly Cyclopes.

"I thought Cyclopes worked in forgeries," I said warily.

"Yes, the good little obedient ones," the first Cyclopes snarled mockingly. "Not us. We didn't ask to be treated like monsters- that's why we agreed to aid the trapped one!"

"That trapped one?" I asked, a chill running through me. Rose and Julia had said something about a 'tapped one.' I shot a quick glance over to Julia, but she looked as furious as anyone else. Not confused though, I couldn't help but noting. Maybe a bit pale, but that could have just been the poor lighting.

"Yes, the trapped one!" The Cyclopes roared. "We share her pain!"

"Her?" I said quickly. "So it's a girl?"

"Shut up, Jax!" Cried the second Cyclops.

"You can't order me around, AJanae!" Jax snapped. "Just because mother liked you best-"

"This has nothing to do with mother," AJanae interrupted angrily. "We're supposed to _kill _the demigods, not _chat _with them!"

"Fine," Jax grumbled. "But we will talk about this later!"

"Whatever you say," his sister mumbled, tossing her greasy locks over one shoulder.

"I'll take AJanae," Dalilah muttered softly to me. "You three take Jax."

"But then you'll have to fight on your own!" I protested.

"I can take care of myself," she informed me. I didn't get a chance to continue arguing, though, because the ugly twins charged.

"Come and get me!" Dalilah hollered with glee, charging at AJanae fearlessly. With a shudder I realized Dalilah was _enjoying _this. If she hadn't seemed like a child of Ares earlier, she did now.

"Demigod scum!" Jax taunted, coming toward the rest of us. Julia quickly loaded an arrow and aimed for Jax's solo eye. Her aim was flawless, and hit her target right in the middle.

"AH!" Jax cried out in pain, clutching his bloody eye. "You will PAY for that!" He cried furiously. Blinded as he was, he still had us backed in a corner. Julia's weapon was useless at such close range, and she ducked his meaty hand as he punched out blindly, trying to worm around him and get far enough away to take another shot.

Ali stabbed his foot with her spear and Jax gave another cry of pain, kicking out. This time he got lucky and hit Julia square in the chest. She went flying and hit the wall with a sickening thud,sliding to the floor, knocked out cold. With Ali down for the count and Julia trying to sneak around Jax to get a better shot, it suddenly was my job to fight Jax alone.

"C'mon, ugly!" I teased, ducking his sluggish fist. I wasn't strong or particularly fierce, but I was fast and agile, and Jax was a huge, clumsy idiot.

"Is that the best you can do?" I taunted, jabbing my dagger into his arm. He gave a roar of frustration and pain, ripping the dagger away from me. Weaponless now, I could only dodge and hope Julia would shoot soon.

"Filthy demigod scum!" Jax roared, swiping out at me again. This time, I did the craziest thing yet. Instead of ducking, I latched on to his arm.

"Hateful- what?" He froze, just now realizing I had nimbly crawled up his arm and was hanging onto the back of his shirt for dear life.

"ARGH!" He yelled furiously, twisting violently and trying to shake me off. The room blurred and I felt like my teeth were going to rattle out of my head, but I still managed to hang on.

Then Jax turned around and smashed his back against the wall. I tried to scramble out of the way, but this time, I wasn't fast enough. I lost my grip and slid to the floor, gasping for breath. The room spun and my right leg burned, pulsing with a sharp pain.

"I win!" Jax cried triumphantly, towering above me. Even sightless, he knew where I was. I tried to get to my feet, but my leg sang with pain and I collapsed, my vision rimmed with darkness.

Just as he was about to bring down his fist and crush me flat, his expression changed. Then he topped down with a heavy thud. I just rolled out of the way just in time, although the sudden movement was too much for my leg. Pain washed through me and I just managed to catch a glimpse of an arrow sticking out from Jax's head.

Julia had pulled through.

Then darkness washed over me and my world went black.

**Kind of a cliffy, I guess. Hope you enjoyed this chapter- I think it was longer than the others, so that's good! :) Reveiwer's question: So, who's been to Florida before? And does anyone know what the Magic City is? No Googling it! That's cheating! Until next time! **


	6. Chapter 6- Leila's POV

**Hey, everybody :) Time for Chapter 6! Shout outs: **

**Myusernameisorigional****- Sorry for the typos :( I don't have a beta reader, but I try to do my best! **

**Tybee9****- I'm glad you think so! (You looked it up? Cheater…) **

**Linnea-chan****- Well, you won't see many oranges in the big cities. You have to go to the rural areas and the farms and stuff. **

**tdsamual****- Phoenix is a Roman demigod, so Khione **_**is **_**her mom. Lupa sent her to CHB to fulfill her part of the prophecy :) Hope that clears it up! And you don't have to apologize, it's fine. I'm glad you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Me: Uncle Rick! I wrote a story about CHB with all original characters! **

**Rick: Pfft, child, you can never out do me. Do you even own the characters? **

**Me: Well, no, the readers- **

**Rick: And I own the places, so… yup. Sorry, kid. **

**Me: -_- Dang it. **

Leila's POV

I peered out from the bush I was hiding behind, watching the entrance to the Ares cabin carefully. As if on cue, my target approached, the target in question being none other than Clarisse.

A grin spread across my face as Clarisse opened the door, tipping the bucket on the top and drenching her in water.

"What- who-" She spluttered, her shock slowly melting into fury. "WHO DID THIS?" She hollered, looking downright murderous.

Uh-oh. Time to go. Getting up, I ran as fast as I could. Clarisse, spotting me, followed close on my heels, screaming bloody murder.

I was fast, but anger was clearly driving Clarisse, and she was catching up. Up ahead, by Thalia's pine tree, however, I could see Lucy and Isabelle talking. If I could get up there…

Sprinting up the hill, I ducked behind Isabelle just as Clarisse came charging up after me.

"I'm gonna pound you to a pulp!" She roared, lunging toward me.

"Whoa!" Cried Isabelle, jumping between us. "What's wrong? And Clarisse, why are you wet?"

"Ask Lily, that-"

"Leila," Lucy pointed out. "Her name is Leila."

"No!" I cried. "I'm Lily! You've got the wrong girl! I'm innocent!"

"Right," Clarisse sneered. "I'm sure."

"Honest," I lied. "I don't know who this Leila person is, although she sounds awesome. And brave, too. Oh- did I mention funny? And awesome?" In front of me Isabelle snorted, biting her lip to hold back her laughter. Lucy, on the other hand, looked furious.

"Chill out, Clarisse," she snapped. "You can't just beat people up whenever you feel like it! Especially not my friends!"

"Ohh, I'm so scared," Clarisse said sarcastically. "What you gonna do, water girl? Make me slip in a puddle?"

"I swear to all the gods, when I'm done with you you're gonna wish-"

"Lucy!" Isabelle interrupted quickly. "We need to go anyway. Has anyone seen Rose?"

"I'm right here," said a voice, making me jump. We all turned to see Rose leaning against the tree.

"When did you get here?" I asked, surprised. Rose turned her dark eyes to me, looking impatient.

"I'm a huntress. I know how to move quietly. Besides, you guys were so involved in your fight, you didn't notice me come up," she told me. "Are we leaving, or what?"

"You're not going anywhere 'til I beat that little-"

"Clarisse," Rose snapped. "We have a quest to go on. You can attack Leila later, but now is not the time."

Clarisse glared at the older girl, but didn't argue.

"C'mon," Rose told the rest of us. "The car is waiting for us."

"I thought _you _were the head of our group," Lucy whispered to me as we followed Rose down the hill.

"So did I," I muttered back. The car that was taking us to New York was the CHB van that had dropped us off not long ago. It had seemed crowded before, but now that it was just us four, it was roomy enough.

Climbing in, I slid in to a seat next to Lucy. Isabelle sat across the aisle, and Rose sat in front of Lucy and me.

Lucy immediately popped in her headphones, blasting what sounded like a bizarre mix of Imagine Dragons and Taylor Swift from her ipod. Rose leaned against a window, stretching out across her seat and saying nothing. Across from me, Isabelle shot her half-sister an exasperated look.

"All she does is listen to her music," she told me.

"You two don't get along?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Isabelle hesitated. "Kind of. We can work together if we have to, I suppose. But she's just so… _different." _Looking between Lucy with her combat boots and spiky necklace, to Isabelle with her sneakers and charm bracelet, it was easy to see what she meant.

"How come we have to use the camp van?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Comforting unlikely siblings was not one of my many talents, thank you very much. If the topic could be avoided, I wanted to avoid it.

"What do you mean?" Isabelle asked, looking at me curiously.

"Think about it," I explained. "Other demigods used metal dragons, pegasi- stuff like that. We get a van. I bet Mika's group didn't use a van."

"They did," Rose interjected, speaking for the first time. "This one, actually."

"What?" Asked Isabelle, her jaw dropping. "So they have a head start on us? That's not fair!" Rose just shrugged.

Isabelle still looked cheated, Rose and Lucy seemed… out of it… and I was beginning to feel majorly uncomfortable.

"Does it seem hot in here to any of you?" I asked, shifting uneasily. Had the van been this small a moment ago? It seemed like it had shrunk.

"Huh? No," Isabelle said, shooting me a confused look. "Are you ok? You look pale. And what's that in your hands?"

I looked down to see I was fiddling with a small golden sphere with integrant Greek carvings lacing across it. I hadn't even realized I had taken it out of my pocket.

"It was a gift," I told her, not meeting her gaze. How was I supposed to tell her it was a gift from my dad? And even worse, how was I supposed to tell her my Mom had died right after delivering it to me? It was too sad- I didn't like to think about it. Telling jokes was much better, much safer.

Luckily, Isabelle seemed to sense that it was a sensitive subject and didn't press for details. I slipped the little orb back into my pocket, shifting again.

"You look like you're gonna be sick," Rose commented, narrowing her eyes at me. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yup," I said, tapping my foot nervously. "Hey, Isabelle, can you open that window? You know, get some fresh air in here?"

"You're claustrophobic," Isabelle said, understanding making her eyes light up.

"What? Pfft, no!" I said quickly.

"You are," Isabelle said confidently. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be there soon."

-Line Break-

The van finally rolled to a stop almost three hours later. I was the first one out, immediately feeling better once I was back out under the open sky. Isa, our driver, gave a honk of goodbye and rolled off. Before she drove away, I noticed her hand a slip of paper to Rose.

"What was that?" I asked curiously.

"What?" She asked.

"The paper Isa gave you."

"Oh, that. A copy of the prophecy. You know, for reference."

"Ok, then," I said, even though that paper had been pretty small to have the entire prophecy written on it. "Where are we headed?" At my question, everyone froze, looking lost.

"Perfect," Lucy muttered. "Because a clue would have been too much to ask." As if summoned by her words, a small bottle appeared at her feet. A sticky note on the outside read _Too busy for personal delivery. Good Luck. –Hermes _

"What do you know," Isabelle grinned. "A clue." Lucy broke open the bottle, ignoring the cork, and pulled out the slip of paper.

_Dear (insert team name here),_

_ Congratulations. If you got this letter, you're asking the right questions! You get three clues about the state, city, and area the pills can be found. Good luck! _

_The sunniest state around. _

_The "Magic City" _

_A center of Meetings, reunions, and gatherings. _

_I'd tell you more, but it'd been a whole three hours since I last slept, and I'm getting tired. Letter writing is exhausting work. _

_ -Sincerely, _

_ Hypnos, god of slee…_

"The sunniest state around," Rose echoed. "Where would that be?"

"California, maybe?" Lucy suggested, and I grinned.

"California? I hope so! Beaches as far as the eye can see!" I cried, striking a pose. "I hope my swimsuit still fits!" Isabelle laughed, Lucy rolled her eyes, and Rose ignored me entirely. I was seriously starting to get annoyed with her, but bit my tongue. Was it so hard to at least _smile_? I mean, really!

"We could go to the library," Isabelle suggested.

"Of course you would suggest that," Lucy said. "Now is not the time to read! We're on a quest!" Isabelle flushed, but pressed on.

"We can lick up 'the sunniest state," she explained.

"Good idea," Rose nodded. "There's a library not far from here. Come on."

-Line Break-

"Leila? What _are_ you doing?" Lucy whisper-shouted to me. I quickly clicked off the computer, grinning.

"I put a password lock on all the library logs," I told her smugly, proud of my work. "Admit it- I'm awesome." Lucy rolled her eyes and tossed me a thick book titled _States for Dummies. _

"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered.

"Nope," Lucy said, popping the 'p.'

"You want me to _read _this? This would bore a history teacher!" I argued, earning a disapproving "Shh!" from the librarian.

"Just read it," Lucy told me. "The sooner we find the sunshine state, the sooner we can get out of here."

"Fine," I sighed, flipping the book open. Squinting at the page, I struggled to decipher the words. Stupid dyslexia.

"How far are you?" Lucy asked a few minutes later.

"Pretty good, so far," I told her. "I know the title of Chapter One now."

"Leila!" Lucy groaned. "Read the _chapter, _not the _titles_."

"I know, I know," I grumbled. "For the record, though, I'm sure-" I broke of to re-read the chapter title, grimacing. "_A compete history of Ohio_' isn't going to be a very interesting chapter.

"Just read it," Lucy ordered.

"Yes ma'am," I told her, mocking a salute. Turning to the book like a good little demigod, I started to read.

_Ohio was the 17__th__ state to be admitted into the US, and today is the seventh most populous. The government of Ohio…_

Ten minutes later, I was bored to tears. I needed an escape, commonly known as the bathroom lie. Standing up, I got ready to take my mini-break.

"Where are you going?" Whispered Lucy, looking up at me.

"Bathroom," I whispered back.

"Really? You have to go to the bathroom _now?_" She asked, cocking an eyebrow in disbelief.

"A girl's gotta pee when a girl's gotta pee!" I said indignantly, earning another glare from the librarian.

"Fine," Lucy sighed. "Just be quick."

"I will," I promised, making my escape.

-Line Break-

Ok, so I didn't go to the bathroom. I was _going _to, but then I saw the librarian go into a room marked 'Employees only,' and I just _had_ to follow her.

She went through another door into an office and sat behind a large desk and then began typing away on her computer. I crouched between a potted plant and stifled a yawn- _boring_! I was about to get up and leave when someone else entered the room.

"Fiona?" Said the newcomer to the librarian.

"That's _Miss _Fiona to you," the librarian said coolly. "What do you want, Gloria?"

"I'm here to ask you again for your award podium," Gloria said cheerfully, but her voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"My answer is still no," Fiona snapped. "I don't care _what _kind of metal you need, I'm keeping my podium."

"But-"

"Can it," the librarian barked. "The answer is _no_. Now get out of my office."

"Oh, so you aren't going to do this the easy way," Gloria sighed. "Pity. Now things have to get ugly."

"What are you-" The librarian's voice cut of suddenly as Gloria stepped closer. Peaking out from behind the potted plant, I felt my blood go cold when I saw the pistol in a blonde woman's (who I assumed was Gloria) hand.

"I may be mortal," Gloria sneered. "But my master isn't picky. She accepts my help. And I won't let her down." The librarian's face had gone white with fear, her eyes wide. I was a demigod, a hero. I couldn't just watch while Gloria killed the librarian.

"Oh, the trapped one will reward me greatly…" Gloria gloated as I slowly pulled my golden sphere from my pocket, careful not to make a sound. Murmuring _Aperi_! to the ball as quietly as I could, I watched as the ball extended, morphing until I was holding a long, golden bow.

I would only have one chance at this- I had to be faster that Gloria's trigger finger. Oh, boy.

Jumping up, I loaded my bow, aiming for Gloria's hand. In the blink of an eye, the arrow was soaring through the air. Behind the desk, Miss Fiona passed out.

Gloria cried out in pain as the arrow found it's mark, causing her to drop the gun. I quickly lunged forward, kicking it under the desk so Gloria couldn't get it.

"You," she seethed, clutching her injured hand. "_Who _are _you_?"

"I'm your worst nightmare," I said dramatically, feeling a slight flicker of smugness. I'd always wanted to say that.

Gloria made a move for her gun and I quickly loaded another arrow, training it on her.

"Uh-uh," I scolded. "Leave the gun."

"You're gonna kill me then, are you?" Gloria hissed, but I could see the fear in her eyes. I hesitated- Gloria was mortal. Killing a monster was one thing, because they reformed. But killing a mortal…

"Just get out," I told her, hoping I sounded scary. Gloria turned on her heels and fled. I made sure the librarian was ok, and then went out to find my friends. We needed to leave before Gloria came back with backup.

"Leila! There you are!" Isabelle called when I jogged out. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Rose found the 'sunniest state'- it's Florida!"

"We've got other problems," I told them, filling them in on Gloria. Moments later, we were out the door, ready to catch a ride and avoid the evil trigger-happy mortal.

Hopefully we would still beat Mika's group.

** There you have it :) Reviewer's question: Favorite character **_**besides **_**your own? Until next time! **


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